MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG: Threatened with Australian ban
It seems like Australian censors are getting jumpy at the thought of letting a film about paedophilia into the cinema, according to the Sydney Morning Herald:
An intense American drama about two teenagers who were molested by a pedophile when they were eight has become the centre of a censorship controversy.
Until yesterday, Mysterious Skin was due to be released in cinemas next month with an R18+ rating and the consumer advice that it contains adult themes, strong sexual violence and medium-level sex scenes.
Directed by Gregg Araki, the film has screened at international festivals and has had cinema releases in the US and Britain. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, from the television show 3rd Rock from the Sun, plays one of two youths dealing with sexual abuse by their baseball coach.
An application to have the film reclassified threatens to have it banned in Australia.
The federal Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, sought the review after contact from his South Australian counterpart, Michael Atkinson.
It is believed Mr Atkinson was lobbied by the Australian Family Association and the Festival of Light.
The organisations earlier opposed the R18+ rating but were denied a request to waive a reclassification fee by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.
A spokesman for the Australian Family Association, Richard Egan, said he was concerned after reading the film's synopsis. Mr Egan thought the film could be used by pedophiles for their own satisfaction or to help them groom children they were planning to abuse.
"Being able to get hold legally of a DVD where they can play the scene over and over again, showing the adult baseball coach fellating an eight-year-old boy ... could prove very helpful to some pedophiles."
The president of the lobby group Watch on Censorship, Margaret Pomeranz, described Mysterious Skin as a mature and moving film.
"This is a film about the damage that pedophilia creates. It's been so carefully filmed, the impact is on the audience ...
"Pedophiles could watch this film and be stricken by remorse. It could be a pedophile-curing film because they're confronted by the damage they do."
In giving Mysterious Skin an R18+ rating, the Office of Film and Literature Classification described it as "a serious and legitimate exploration of a disturbing and confronting theme".
"The film takes the victims' viewpoint and presents the dark and bleak nature of the abuse to which they are subjected, and the resulting impact on their lives."
An intense American drama about two teenagers who were molested by a pedophile when they were eight has become the centre of a censorship controversy.
Until yesterday, Mysterious Skin was due to be released in cinemas next month with an R18+ rating and the consumer advice that it contains adult themes, strong sexual violence and medium-level sex scenes.
Directed by Gregg Araki, the film has screened at international festivals and has had cinema releases in the US and Britain. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, from the television show 3rd Rock from the Sun, plays one of two youths dealing with sexual abuse by their baseball coach.
An application to have the film reclassified threatens to have it banned in Australia.
The federal Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, sought the review after contact from his South Australian counterpart, Michael Atkinson.
It is believed Mr Atkinson was lobbied by the Australian Family Association and the Festival of Light.
The organisations earlier opposed the R18+ rating but were denied a request to waive a reclassification fee by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.
A spokesman for the Australian Family Association, Richard Egan, said he was concerned after reading the film's synopsis. Mr Egan thought the film could be used by pedophiles for their own satisfaction or to help them groom children they were planning to abuse.
"Being able to get hold legally of a DVD where they can play the scene over and over again, showing the adult baseball coach fellating an eight-year-old boy ... could prove very helpful to some pedophiles."
The president of the lobby group Watch on Censorship, Margaret Pomeranz, described Mysterious Skin as a mature and moving film.
"This is a film about the damage that pedophilia creates. It's been so carefully filmed, the impact is on the audience ...
"Pedophiles could watch this film and be stricken by remorse. It could be a pedophile-curing film because they're confronted by the damage they do."
In giving Mysterious Skin an R18+ rating, the Office of Film and Literature Classification described it as "a serious and legitimate exploration of a disturbing and confronting theme".
"The film takes the victims' viewpoint and presents the dark and bleak nature of the abuse to which they are subjected, and the resulting impact on their lives."
posted by Simon Hayes Budgen at 2:31 PM
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